Lost then found
by Themissofstaryskies
Summary: Lucy was lost with her father just leaving her but Natsu found her that day and gave her what she wished for love, friends and happiness NaLu one-shot


**a/n before this i just wanted to thank keltieful for editing again, she did a really great job fixing up my grammar and making it more descriptive, you should go check her out she's really good at writing!**

Lucy Heartfilia was a small, kind, intelligent child. At the age of 7, she knew the vocabulary of an 8th grader, could play most instruments and she was just darn cute. Everything she did was in the vain hopes of pleasing her father. Each time she tried, she always ended up making some unknown mistake.

She was never allowed to go off the mansion premises. She spent her days in semi-solitude, locked up with books, tutors and servants. They were all lovely people and made pleasant companions, however, sadly it wasn't enough for the blonde. She was very grateful for them. A little girl needed friends her own age; preferably people who weren't paid to serve her.

But today was different. Today, she wasn't locked up in her house like a caged bird. Her father, Jude Heartfilia of the Heartfilia railways, was -rather surprisingly- driving his daughter to a quaint town named Magnolia. To other people, this would be a normal thing in a family relationship but to Lucy, to Lucy this was everything she could ever ask for. Her father was finally paying attention to her!

You see, when Lucy was born, her mother Layla died in labor. Lost in the misery of losing his wife, her father never talked to her. Unless it was a scolding or to tell her that she was the reason Layla was dead. The once loving man was now a workaholic and barely ever left his office. He practically lived in that room. He even sleeps in there for, Pete's sake.

So, when he asked her if she wanted to go out she practically screamed yes. It earned yet another scolding but that didn't matter to her. She was jumping up and down, beaming happiness. Her father talked to her and was taking her out. How could she not be? He finally, finally noticed her, after all these years. However, her glee was not to last. Instead of happy memories made with her father, she got something much worse from him: pain.

...

The father daughter pair reached the park, engaging in small talk and eating until Jude got up and said he was to go to the washroom and would be back soon. Patiently, Lucy waited for her father. Minutes passed by, turning over into hours, with no sign of her father.

Getting worried, she looked into the picnic basket to see if there was an emergency phone inside, hopefully with Jude's contact saved. All the blonde found was extra food, a blanket and a note. Being the curious girl she was, she read it. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't believe it. The letter explained to the slight seven year old that her father Jude had abandoned her for good.

As she sat there crying her little heart out it started to rain. Droplets mixed with her tears, masking her sorrow. She gathered up her meager belongings and tried to find shelter, not wanting sickness to add to her already heavy load. Wandering the unfamiliar town, simply getting more confused and lost, she came upon an alleyway. Luckily, she spotted a box that could hopefully fit her tiny body. Although it was a bit snug, her emotional exhaustion let her fall into a light slumber.

...

Hours later a young boy with oddly pink hair was out for a walk, getting his cat some food. As he trudged along the cobblestone streets he mumbled under his breath. It sounded suspiciously like, 'gramps is going to be pissed if I come home drenched' or 'hopefully that demon doesn't come after me cause I returned late'. Lost in his thoughts, he accidentally dropped one of the three cans, clutched tightly in his small hands. It rolled into an alley. He scampered after the 'damn thing' and that's when he found her.

A young girl with blonde hair who looked to be only a year younger than him sleeping in a box.

The young boy wondered about the whereabouts of her parents. He walked over to the girl in question, kneeled down and poked her cheek until she woke up. Her eyelids parted, revealing sad doe brown eyes which stared at him in confusion.

...

Opening her eyes, Lucy saw a boy with oddly coloured hair and a weird, white scaled scarf. Her daze was interrupted as the strange boy poked her again, starting a conversation. He asked why she was there, she responded in a way he didn't expect. She cried. The days events were too much for her to handle on her own. She needed to purge all the hostile emotions she harboured and share her burden.

Not knowing what to do, the pink haired boy just hugged her. He sat by her side, held her close and allowed her to release all the stress and vulnerability she was feeling.

The two children sat in the damp alleyway for what seemed like hours. Natsu comforted the weird girl as best as he could; even though he didn't know what had happened. Every so often, the boy whispered comforting words and slowly but surely the girl's tears began to slow. After her unrestrained cries had turned to small sniffles, the boy repeated his question.

This time she answered. She had to confide in someone, even if it was a total stranger. The blonde told him everything. How her father never paid attention to her. How she didn't have any real friends. How she was locked up in her house. And finally, how she was abandoned. Not a single detail went untold.

The boy sat there for a couple of minutes, just staring at her before he gave her a wide smile. He eagerly told her that, if she wanted, his 'old man' could help her. At first this only caused her confusion. Why would someone help her? When the rosette saw her confused stare he began to explain his own tale.

She was surprised to hear his story. It was somewhat similar to her own, except he never knew his real parents. He was adopted by a man named Igneel and they lived happily together until, 2 years ago, he left without a word. Natsu, the boy's name she had found out, was left with a couple hundred dollars. It didn't take long for it to run out.

It was actually when he was being chased for stealing the food he needed to survive that he ran into an old man named Makarov. The old man took Natsu in, but the pink haired kid was not the only one. He informed her about the other people Makarov had taken in. He'd made a safe haven of sorts for homeless kids he found on the street and had a grandson a few years older than them.

When Natsu got up, he gave her a huge grin and asked if she wanted to come home with him. In return, she mustered up the best smile she could and said yes.

As they walked they shared more about themselves. As it turned out, they had quite a few things in common. They had an interest in similar things, shared hobbies and apparently Natsu suffered from extreme motion sickness.

He also told her about the other kids. There were actually 7 more. As far as she could remember, their names were Erza, Gray, Levy, Gajeel, Juvia, Laxus and Wendy.

When she asked Natsu how he stumbled upon her, he began to tell her all about Happy. Happy was one of three cats that lived with the motley crew. Happy, who was actually blue with a white tipped tail and belly, Pantherlily, who was owned by Gajeel and was black with a white snout, and Carla, who was white and owned by Wendy.

The pair finished their talk as they stumbled upon a huge house. It wasn't as extravagant as the manor she'd grown up in but it was still pretty big. Natsu strode right into the house yelling out for the 'old man'. As soon as the words had escaped his mouth, an elderly man, who was about as tall as Lucy, entered the room. As soon as his eyes rested on Lucy, he asked the pinkette a silent question. Satisfied with his answer, he lead the two kids into the living room. Natsu sat down on a couch with Lucy. He proceeded to recount the night's events. After hearing their tale, Makarov gladly accepted Lucy as one of his own.

...

Lucy soon meet the other children. There was Erza Scarlet, a redhead who's aurora spoke of sophistication and authority. Gray Fullbuster, a raven haired kid who had a habit of stripping and an intense rivalry with Natsu. Levy Mcgarden, a small bluenette who was a bookworm. Gajeel Redfox, a intimidating older boy with long black hair. Juvia Lockser, another bluenette -her locks were a bit darker than Levy's- who had an obsession with Gray and called everyone 'love rival'. Laxus Dreyar, a blonde teen who was Markov's only blood relative. And then there was the youngest, Wendy Marvell, a little blue haired girl who was exceptionally shy, but very sweet and caring.

That day, Lucy made her first real friends. The 9 became family and nakama. Lucy was in absolute bliss. For the first time people liked her and wanted to be friends! She was ecstatic to know people cared; that feeling was amazing.

...

As the years flew by and the kids got older a lot of things changed. Gramps took in three more kids, the Strauss siblings. Mira, the oldest, Elfman who was the middle sibling -and a real man!- and Lisanna the youngest.

As the group of misfits grew, so did their relationships. Since they were never officially adopted, the group naturally began to split off into couples. Gajeel was the second to confess. In tenth grade he -finally- told Levy how he felt about her. Erza found a nice guy called Jellal who she'd actually known before she'd come into Makarov's care. They'd been childhood sweethearts and got together halfway through grade eleven. Gray took Juvia aside in their senior year and admitted to returning her feelings while asking her to prom. Lisanna and Elfman both developed crushes on Laxus's friends. Elfman was quick to make a move on the beauty who caught his eye while Lisanna was still waiting and dropping hints. Laxus and Mira official became a couple in their first year of college however, everyone had seen it coming. They'd practically been a couple since the Strauss's had joined the family.

As for Natsu and Lucy, they'd both developed major crushes on each other from just about the first time they'd met, but were too nervous to confess. It took Mira's 'Cupid from Hell' mode to get the two together in 7th grade. Just in case you're wondering, Lucy confessed. Elfman commended her for being 'a real man'.

...

The day when Natsu found Lucy in that little box was 15 years ago.

Lucy is now 22, making Natsu 23. The two got married just a little over a year ago. Now, as she gathered everyone together, she had one of the biggest announcements she would ever make. Everyone was gathered in the living room, sprawled across three couches. Natsu sat beside her on the loveseat, looking at her with a silent question in his eyes.

Lucy stood up, walked forward and climbed atop the low coffee table. This was the traditional 'stage' used by their family for important announcements.

"You're probably were all wondering why I called you here," she asked, glancing around the room. A series of 'yes's' and 'hurry up's' echoed across the large space. The impatience of the group made her sigh. She motioned for Natsu to join her and took ahold of his hand.

"Something really big just happened... I went to the doctors last week," she murmured quietly. She felt the comforting squeeze of Natsu's hand. Now everyone was dead quiet, giving the blonde a serious stare until she smiled.

"I'm 3 weeks pregnant!" Hearing this, the atmosphere transformed from solemn into pure excitement. Cheers and smiles boomed throughout the room, people coming up to congratulate her. Natsu got up and hugged her, mumbling an 'I love you' in her ear. She couldn't have been happier with her life.

Looking back, she did have it rough before she'd met her nakama.

Living virtually alone, growing up in the care of paid help, having a father who didn't care and abandoned her at the mere age of seven.

She wouldn't change it for the world. If he'd never left her alone she wouldn't be here. All the real bonds she'd made, her friends, family and one true love were worth more than anything to her. Not to mention the incredible achievement of life currently growing in her belly. She was more than happy with her life. Even if her early memories were filled with sadness. Without what had happened she would probably still be living that horrid life.

One might say she was lost and then soon found.

**THE END.**

**a/n so how did you guys like it this is just my third fanfiction I ever made so sorry if it's not that good, ya I'll make more I'm kind of a one-shot gal so as I continue these stories and get better with expire nice I may -no promises- make a multi chap but if I did that would be way in the future, again hope you liked and r&amp;r! :)**


End file.
